What the wind brings back
by Naru-Taichou
Summary: Naruto brings sasuke back but ends up broken hearted so he leaves on a training trip with Jiraya, an accident happens an Naruto is presumed dead.But what happens when a mysterious man named demon of the wind appears soon after? CHAPTERS 1-6 EDITED RE-READ
1. Chapter 1

**NN-chan:** well I decided to do a fanfic, it's my first so don't think its going to by perfect, I will try my best!

**Ichigo:** So where is the hollow?

**NN-chan: **Wrong fanfic Ichigo bleach one is next door!

**Ichigo:** umm sorry (walks next door)

**NN-chan:** signs well its time for the disclaimer!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own naruto, if I did I would be rich!

**NN-chan:** story time!

_Thought_

_**Inner Sakura or Kyuubi **_

Normal

**AN **author's note

**Summary:**

_Naruto just beat up Sasuke at the valley of the end……._

**Chapter 1**

Naruto panted, shaking slightly. He was exhausted. After two gruelling hours of fighting Sasuke at the Valley of the End, he had finally managed to knock the boy out. Attempting not to drop as he walked forward, he stumbled towards the raven-haired boy on the ground, each ragged breath shaking his lithe frame. A smile etched itself upon his face, and as he swallowed and coughed, he chuckled lightly. "Sasuke...if you thought...I'd let you go, you're...terribly wrong. You're...too much of a friend...too...lose..." His speech done with, Naruto sighed, collapsing on the ground and letting a wave of blackness surround him.

Thirty minutes after both boys had lost conciousness, Kakashi and Sakura arrived on the scene. Kakashi took stock of the situation immediately, nodding knowingly to himself. "Sakura-chan, grab Naruto-kun. I'll take Sasuke-kun myself. We need to get them to the hospital." The man grimaced, wondering about his students health.

The pinkette nodded. "Hai, Kakashi-sensei!" Stooping to pick up the blond, she flung him over her shoulder. With a last look about, they disappeared into the calm afternoon, leaving the scene behind them in their efforts to get the boys to a safer location.

_I hope Sasuke-kun and Naruto are alright,_ thought Sakura, deeply worried about both her teammates.

It was three days later at the Konoha Hospital that our favorite blond shinobi awoke, blinking twice before his surroundings came into focus. _What...what happened?_ Naruto thought, trying to make sense of the past few days. Then, it all hit him, just like a flash of light. "Sasuke!" Jumping out of bed and ignoring the pain in his muscles, the boy ran out of the room, glancing about nervously before running to the reception desk. "Oy! What room is Uchiha Sasuke in?"

The receptionist glanced at him momentarily before reading off the list in front of her. "Hm...let's see here. Ah, here it is, room 201, young man," she replied back.

Without even taking the time to answer her, the blond dove down the hallway, reading the numbers on the doors as quickly as possible. Suddenly, he saw the room, a large 201 printed boldly on a wooden plaque. Smiling, he stepped in, flinging the door wide open. "Oy! Sasuke-teme, I..."

However, the boy stopped mid-sentence, gazing unbelieving at the scene that confronted. Sakura sat on Sasuke's bed, and at the moment, the two were exchanging a heated kiss, Sasuke's tongue flickering back and forth against Sakura's lips. For a moment, Naruto couldn't move or talk. Then, without any further thinking, he turned his back to the sight, running back up the hallway...running faster than he had ever run before.

Only when he found himself deep within a valley of Sakura trees did he stop running. Surprisingly, no nurses had stopped him as he threw himself down the halls of the hospital, but that wasn't on his mind at the moment. Placing his back up against one of the beautiful, pink-flowering trees, he sighed, allowing himself to slink to the ground. What was he doing? He knew quite well that if he brought Sasuke-teme back, Sakura would go with him. What was the problem? Why couldn't he just let go?

Of all the questions that he asked himself, he knew that none of them could be answered there. In fact, he knew that most of them would never be answered at all. Picking himself up off the ground, he sighed once more, finding himself a quiet wooden bench and laying back against the frame.

Maybe he would take that 3 year trip with Ero-sennin after all. Besides...it would take his mind off of other things...

I sat beside Sasuke-kun's bed...just...glaring at him, but I didn't feel like checking him a thousand times over like I normally would, just to see if he was all right. No, I was more worried about Naruto at the moment, wondering if he would make it or not. _Why am I caring about Naruto more than Sasuke-kun right now? _I thought to myself. Of course, my inner personality wasn't going to let me live anything like that down at all...

**Maybe you're falling for him, girl!**

_No way! No...no way I'm falling for that loud-mouth, annoying, blond, cute Naruto-baka!_ However, I had slipped slightly...and my inner let me know it.

**Oh! So, now it's cute Naruto, huh? Whatever happened to just plain annoying, loud-mouthed Naruto, hm?**

I was about to reply when I heard a shuffling noise in front of me. I had to snap out of my own mind for the moment. _We'll worry about this later. I...have to concentrate..._

Sasuke groaned, opening his eyes to see a white ceiling above him. For a moment, his mind was blurry, and then it all clicked through. Naruto...beating him...at the Valley of the End! Somehow. Somehow, he had won...and had brought him back to Konohagakure! _Kuso...Naruto...I was so close to getting away from this place! _Sasuke thought. Looking to the right, he met the green-eyes of Sakura, blinking at him. As if by magic, a plan clicked through. _I've got it! The most important thing to that dobe is Sakura. So, if I take Sakura away from him, Naruto will crumble. I have you now, you stupid teme!_ Without more than a pause from his thought's, Sasuke snatched out, grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her in close. She squealed slightly, but was stopped...as his lips met hers.

I couldn't believe my eye's! Or my lips! Sasuke-kun was kissing...me? Me! Sasuke-kun, the Emo King of Konohagakure...was kissing ME! Plain old Haruno Sakura!

But...it didn't feel right. I wasn't melting into the kiss, and it didn't make my knee's give way or anything dramatic like that. It just felt...normal. Maybe even forced.

Then, I made a horrible, fatal mistake. Lost in my own thoughts, I let my mouth open, and Sasuke-kun took no time to take the plunge. I tried pushing his tongue out of my mouth, but I wasn't strong enough. Either I had become much weaker than I had ever imagined, or his strength simply overwhelmed mine.

Soon, I heard the door open, and glanced nervously to the left to see a stunned looking Naruto. I wanted to break away, to tell him that it wasn't what it looked like. To...to let him know that this wasn't real! But, Sasuke-kun held me firm, his tongue still delving deeply into my mouth.

Without a word, Naruto turned, running from the room. That was when Sasuke-kun broke off long enough for me to stand. As I took off, hoping to catch Naruto before it was too late, I thought I caught a glimpse of a smile on Sasuke-kun's face...as though...he had planned it to happen that way.

As Sakura fled the room, Sasuke laid back against the pillows, a small smirk forming on his face. _My plan's working sooner than I thought it would. Now, Uzumaki Naruto...now, you crumble!_

**So what do you think R&R please remember this is my first fanfic! Also thanks for the reviews I tried to sort out the dialog. Also Another Thanks To Uzuki-kun! Who edited my story for me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**NN-Chan: Nice to see you again hope you liked chapter one**

**Kiba: I smell a story coming sniffs the air**

**NN-Chan: well duh this is a story, sometimes Kiba I think you're as stupid as Naruto and that's saying something!**

**Naruto: Hey…**

**NN-Chan: sorry Naruto I'll let you do the disclaimer**

**Naruto: Naru-nee-chan doesn't own Naruto if he did I would be with Sakura! **

**NN-Chan: It's story time!**

_Thoughts or sarcasm _

**IS or Kyuubi**

Normal talk or dialogue

**Chapter 2**

Naruto rounded the bend into the hot springs, having run there after inquiring about a certain white-haired perverted legendary sannin. Going around the back, he finally spotted who he was looking for. "Oy! Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted out.

The white-haired man peeping through the wall of the bathhouse with a telescope scoffed, turning about to watch the blond haired boy walking towards him. "Naruto, I told you not to call me that!" Jiraiya replied back.

Naruto merely scoffed right back. "Well, you're not really proving me wrong by peeping, now are you?" he snorted.

Jiraiya was taken aback slightly. _Huh...is it me, or did he just grow an extra brain cell?_ Snapping himself out of his own thoughts, the Sannin shook his head. "So, what is it, brat? It had better be important, since you just disturbed my crucial research."

After snorting at the word 'research', Naruto replied, "well, Jiraiya-_sama..._I've come to take you up on your offer on the three year training trip.

Now, to say that Jiraiya was shocked would have been a huge understatement. When he had tried to persuade the boy while training for the Chunnin exams, the boy had said no every time, saying that it would have left the people he cared about unprotected. Shaking his head at the sudden turn of events, Jiraiya decided to pry further in. "What's with the change of heart, kid? Something happen?" At the look on Naruto's face, the Sannin nodded. "Something bad?"

Naruto simply shook his head. "I...I just thought that a change of pace would do me some good. I mean, being cooped up in this place isn't getting me any closer to being the Hokage, is it?" It was a blantant lie, but Naruto hoped the old man wouldn't see that. He didn't really need a change of pace. He just needed to get away...from this one particular place. The only reason he had put up with it for so long was because of his dream to be the Hokage, and his dream to be the Hokage was because he wanted to get the village to notice him. Of course, the only reason he wanted that was so that the number one person would notice him.

Sakura.

Of course, that wasn't going to happen any time soon, was it? So, with half a dream and the villager's continuous anger towards him, he was afraid that, any day, he would crumble. He knew that that was the whole intention of the village, and...he wasn't going to give in just yet.

After an awkward silence, in which a horde of women had run by, half-naked and screaming something about an old pervert, Jiraiya finally decided that Naruto would be an alright escort on the journey. What with Akatsuki poking around, and the multitudes of people who wanted nothing more than to see the boy dead, a training trip was just what was needed. "Fine, squirt. We leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Go pack up all your stuff. If you don't get there on time, I'm leaving without you, got it?" It wasn't even a recommendation. It was an order. The faster that the boy left Konohagakure, the faster any semblance of doubt would leave his mind.

Naruto...simply nodded, turning to set off to his home, to get things in order before leaving with the man on the following day.

Back at the ramen stand, Sakura had been agitatedly searching for a certain blond boy. "Are you sure you haven't seen Naruto around anywhere?" She had been looking for nearly an hour and a half with little to no success. This was her third visit to the ramen stand to see if Naruto had come by, and still nothing. It wasn't like him to miss an hour without ramen.

Suddenly, someone else entered the stand, throwing up the flap that did for a door. "Hey, old man! I'm going on a trip for a while, so here's my bank card so you don't run out of business!" A card rocketed past, the old man behind the counter catching it deftly. Swirling about, Sakura turned quickly, seeing Naruto framed there in the sunlight.

"Na...Naruto..." she said, barely whispering his name. Naruto turned to her, his normally gleaming blue eyes turning into more of a dulled azure.

"Oh...hey Sakura-san," he said plainly, with as little emotion as the boy could muster.

If he had tried not to upset her, it had done the exact opposite. _Oh...it's Sakura-san now...not chan..._ she thought. She snapped out of her momentary faze, remembering him speaking something about a trip. "Oy, Naruto. Where are you going?" Sakura asked worriedly. She truly hoped that it wouldn't be for long...or that far.

"Huh? Oh, I'm going on a training trip with Ero-sennin. Only for about three years," he replied bluntly.

The words reverberated in Sakura's ears, piercing her brain like a thousand kunai. _Going for three years...three years...three years..._

"Well, ja ne, Sakura-san! Hey old man, see you in three years, ne?" His hands came up, and he concentrated his chakra for a brief moment.

Sakura gasped, her hand coming out to catch the boy. "Naruto! Wait!" But, he was already gone, shunshined away before she could say anything to him...to let him know how she felt.

Her mind spun. Her stomach reeled. Three years? Three whole years? Gone...from Konahagakure? From all his friends? From...her?

In that brief moment after Naruto had left, Sakura felt something akin to fear beginning to well up within her. Three years, gone.

What was she going to do?

**What did you think of this chapter? R&R! Also a thanks to Uzuki-kun who edited this chapter for me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**NN-chan:** Sorry for the wait

**Naruto:** why did you take so long?

**NN-chan:** I was having problem with my bank account, the ATM ate my card up!

**Naruto:** Damn ATM machines! 'throws a shuriken at the ATM'

**NN-chan: **That and I got a C on my essay and got ban from the computer for 2 days!

**Naruto:** Your having I bad day, should I do the disclaimer then?

**NN-chan:** yeah whatever. 'walks off and sulks'

**Naruto:** Naru-nee-chan doesn't own Naruto, if he did someone else would be typing now!

**NN-chan: **'pops out of nowhere' It's story time!

_thoughts_

**jutsus**

normal

A blond boy stood on a small bullock, surveying his surroundings with a gleam in his eyes as the sunlight glinted off of them.

Naruto had changed considerably in the three years he had been away. He had thrown off the ridiculous orange jacket, keeping it safely stowed away as a memento of the years past. Smiling to himself, he took a moment to glance down at his new choice of outfit. Dark blue khaki shorts, ruffling slightly in the breeze, which continued with bandages down each leg. He didn't really think that they were meant for anything special.

They just looked cool.

Of course, the shirt he now wore was his idea, specially tailored just for him in the Rice Country. A black, almost velvet textured cloth, the insignia of two foxes fighting on the backside. He took a momentary glance at the picture. It was, by far, his greatest idea to date.

Of course, the coat that hung trench-style from his shoulders was Jiraiya's idea. It was an exact replica of the coat that Namikaze Minato had worn...his father. It was perhaps his greatest possession, even if it was only a replica.

He had also acquired two blades. The hilt of one shown brilliantly, its hilt cut craftily from a rather large chunk of white ivory. The blade had been specially made in Demon Country, having been crafted from high-grade steel and an alloy that Naruto hadn't even heard of. He called it Heaven's Cross.

The other blade was a unique sword all to itself. Black as night and sharp as a razor, Demon's Moon had cut a swathe through the enemies he had faced thus far, and if needed, it would continue to.

At least, it did so in his mind. He hadn't really been able to practice much with the blades, since they were fairly new, and he had never really trained with weapons much. A kunai or two, perhaps...but never full-on sword fighting.

Twitching his nose slightly, Naruto took a moment to brush the bangs from his forehead. Had anyone seen him standing on the hill, they wouldn't have been able to tell between a picture of the Fourth and the boy. They were far too identical for a quick look.

His cerulean blue eyes were far more captivating than ever before. He had actually blushed quite a few times when talking to some women in shops...and having them blankly stare at him, having lost themselves to that gaze. His baby fat, what little there had been, was gone completely, and his face had become more chiseled...more defined.

His body reflected the tough training as well. His rock hard muscles were defined to a T, and he had become quite the young man. Walking through town, he would often get two types of stares. One from the men and boys, who wished they had his body. One from the women, who wished...well...that they had his body. Perhaps the same stare, but with different meanings.

As for Jiraiya. Well...he was...Jiraiya.

Standing alone on that hillock, Naruto couldn't help but sigh.

"Something on your mind, Naruto?" A kindly voice asked from behind him. Naruto merely nodded, his gaze pointed in the direction of Konohagakure.

"Ay ay. I wonder...what everyone will think of me now?" he said, sadly and more than a little hesitant. Jiraiya shook his head.

_I wonder how many times the boy has asked himself that in these three long years? _Jiraiya thought to himself. But, the years would soon end. They were going home. The first year, the boy had been so homesick that the white-haired Sannin had had to bind him to his bed...even going so far as to sit on him for a day. But, it didn't matter.

None of it mattered.

Naruto smiled, shaking slightly. Then, he couldn't hold it in any more. "Yatta! I'm going home!"

"Well, we're not there yet, brat. Come on, we have five miles left to go before you can say that," Jiraiya said, giving the boy a pat on the head before hitching up his backpack and walking down the hill. However, about half-way down, he stopped, blinking slightly at the sudden change in air-temperature and pressure. "Oy, Naruto...you feel that?"

Naruto stopped, his smile fading fast. "Hn. What is it, you think?"

"Akatsuki. Naruto, be prepared!" Jiraiya said quickly, throwing his pack to the ground and readying himself. Naruto nodded, throwing down his own pack in preparation.

A sudden shadowed spot caught both shinobi's attention, as down from the sky dropped a cluster of paper butterflies. They milled about, stopping a few yards out in front to twirl and dance in the sunlight. When they stopped, two cloaked figures stood, eying them. Jiraiya merely let out a small chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jiraiya stiffened slightly, his smile never relaxing or wavering as he eyed the two. "Hn. So Pein. I see you finally decided to come yourself...along with that beautiful escort of yours." He continued to eye the woman far more closely than the other.

Naruto figured that a little swagger was in order as well. "Of course he came, Jiraiya-sensei. I mean, seeing as how we killed off most of the other Akatsuki members already." He added a slight mocking leer to his voice, just to add to the statement.

However, the man with rings in his eyes merely laughed. "Hahaha! Foolish little boys. Konan, please deal with the Kyuubi's vessel. I will deal with sensei."

The blue-haired woman nodded slightly. "Hai, Pein-sama." Immediately, the two detached, Pein making a bee-line for Jiraiya and cutting him off from his student as Konan sent a twirl of paper butterflies to block him from helping the old man.

Sneering at the butterflies in his way, Naruto glanced sideways at his adversary. Konan merely smiled slyly, her hands already gathering more paper. "Naruto-kun. Please do not make this hard on yourself. Give in. It will go much smoother that way."

Naruto merely smiled back. "Come at me with everything you have, paper girl." He again added that mocking tone to his voice, hoping to lull her into an uneasy attack.

Konan smirked, her hands rising. "You have quite the big mouth on you, little boy. Perhaps...I should cut it off? **Origami Arts: One-Thousand Paper Blades!" **Her hands flew to her sides, and all at once, her paper butterflies became slitted, edged...with a cruel malice between the lot of them. Just as suddenly as they had transformed, they rotated, pointing in Naruto's direction and homing in on him.

Naruto merely smiled on, dodging left and right as the paper knives flew past at blinding speeds. A few times, the paper merely cut the surface of his skin, deep enough to draw blood, but hardly a wound.

When the origami weapons had all but ceased flying by, Naruto back-sprung, laughing lightly. "Hn. Is that all you got? A few paper cuts? Oh well...my turn! **Rasengan!" **A ball of blue light erupted from his outstretched hand, and gaining momentum by propelling himself off the ground, Naruto flew across the open space, hand stretched out and ready to slam the attack straight into the girl in front of him.

Konan took the attack in at a glance. Smirking once more, she sprung into the air. "Foolish boy. The rate at which you attack means that you can't dodge...or change direction."

As he watched Konan jump up, Naruto smiled to himself. "Gotcha..." he said, under his breath. Then, in a flash of smoke, he poofed out of existence.

_Shit...a bunshin!_ Thought Konan, her head half-turned to glance behind her. But, it was already too late.

"**Raikou Handou no Jutsu!**" Another clone having thrown him into the air, Naruto's body twirled gracefully, his leg glowing a faint yellow as a lightning-charged kick slammed into Konan's unprotected head...

Only to have it be replaced by a log.

_Shit, a Kawirimi_! Landing on the ground, Naruto sat in a crouch, eying his territory for signs of Konan. _Ok. I know that she uses paper. So...what would I do if I used origami to attack?_ His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice shouting from the woodlands.

"**Origami Arts: One Thousand Paper Blades!" **All around him, paper blades shot from the bushes and low-lying trees, making a bee-line for his position.

_Bitch doesn't know when to quit, _Naruto thought to himself. Putting his hands up, he flew through hand-signs faster than he could keep up with, his hands going on auto-pilot. "**Doton: Doroku Gaeshi no Jutsu!**" The earth shook in front of him, and a large wall made of dirt and rock suddenly sprung up, surrounding him in a protective casing. From inside the cocoon, he could hear the thuds as thousands of paper blades crashed into his shielding. "Is that the only technique you have, Konan? I'd expect better from an Akatsuki second!" Naruto shouted, still entrapped.

Konan watched the outside of the wall, smiling. Flipping onto her hands and back onto her feet several times, she landed gracefully atop a small lake, putting her hands up to channel chakra. "No, Kyuubi's vessel. I also have this! **Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!**"

The water began to ripple and pulsate, spreading inward and outward before twirling about. The liquid began to form up, splashing in on itself and getting higher and faster. Two large, shining eyes appeared above, a mouth forming from a water dragon's visage as it streamed forward, the attack bent on pummeling anything within its reach.

However, from his small burrow, Naruto was the one who was smiling. A hole opened in the top of his protective cocoon, and he hopped out, landing lightly on the rim of the bowl and watching the attack brutalizing the landscape. Hands once again began to make signs, and at the end, he took a breath. **"Doton: Doryuuheki no Jutsu!**"

Naruto heaved, his mouth opening as a landslide of mud poured forth, emptying onto the ground and creating a wall in front of him. More and more mud and bile issued from Naruto's mouth, and solid, both jutsu's hit one another like titan's.

However, the wall of mud made no impact on the inside. Like a wave hitting a seawall, the water-dragon ebbed and peaked, crashing mightily...only to sink to the ground and retreat back to the lake.

Konan watched disinterestedly as the dragon retreated, turning her attentions back to the blond boy in front of her. "Jinchurriki. Why do you use Earth techniques? I was led to believe that you have chakra compatible with Fuuton techniques."

Naruto nodded. "Hai. But, if I used my Fuuton techniques, I would probably kill you in a second, and...what fun would that be?" He smiled, glancing over at a blinking Konan.

The girl opened her mouth to say something in retort...but before she could, a large, vibrating explosion rendered the scene, causing her mouth to snap shut.

Both combatants glanced to the left, noticing that a giant striped panda was smashing the forest to pieces, an attempt of Pein's to crush his adversary into the dust.

Naruto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a hand. "Ay ay...sensei, always getting into trouble." Glancing up at Konan, he smiled, waving at her. "Oy! Sorry Konan. Seems I have to cut the fun short. Ero-Sennin is in trouble."

Konan blinked, her teeth gritting. "What? Don't think I'll let you have your own way!" Her hands came up, and she smiled. "You won't be going anywhere, Jinchurriki! **Origami Arts: One Thou...**" However, her jutsu was cut short. Eyes wide, she stuttered, coughing slightly as she took a deep breath...and then another...and then a third, which seemed to rob her of any energy that she had previously held. Coughing once more, her hand came up, touching the corner of her mouth and bringing it up so that she could see the crimson that was slowly leaking from her. Next, she took time to notice the two swords hanging from her, the white hilt of one lodged just below her collar bone, the black hilt of another cutting through her crosswise, spearing her vital organs at crazy angles.

Naruto appeared next to her, helping her down to the ground and laying her out flat. Her eyes slowly fading, she coughed one final time as Naruto gazed down at her, snorting slightly as he took his swords from her quickly cooling body. "Ja ne, Konan." Standing, he replaced his weapons on his back, turning towards the sound of the carnage and running in that direction, leaving his opponent to face death alone.

"Damn ANBU. We're close enough to the village. They should have been here by now," Naruto said to himself, hopping through the trees as the sounds of devastation drew closer.

Finally finding his way free from the trees, he somersaulted through, hitting the ground...next to a scene that would be forever burned into his memory.

The scene of the great Sannin Jiraiya...a kunai piercing his heart and his already lifeless body lying broken on the ground.

At first, Naruto didn't know what to think or feel. The blood was already pooling on the ground, collecting in small crevices that were invisible to the naked eye. Slowly, Naruto stood, still gazing upon the scene below him. Pein smirked from his position, one of his other forms already telling him what he knew to be true.

"A gift for you, Jinchurriki. You killed my partner...I killed yours. Now...let us finish this, hm?"

"You...you bastard. You...bastard..." Naruto's fist clenched, and he tore himself from his dead sensei's face, gritting his teeth. Slowly, a stream of red began to pour from his body, working its way up his length until it enveloped him in a bloody mist. "YOU BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" Throwing caution to the wind, Naruto charged, his right hand clenched, his left hand drawing a kunai.

Pein merely smiled on, waiting until the last moment. With a neat side-step, he narrowly missed needing a nose-job, ducking under the waiting kunai. Snapping out with his hand, he grasped the boy's arm, using his own forward momentum to bring the kunai in, cleanly stabbing Naruto through the left side of his abdomen.

As the weapon pierced his skin, Naruto howled, rolling along on the ground and stopping, his teeth gritting in pain. His vision ebbing, he glanced up, trying to push himself back to his feet. "I'll...kill...you..."

Pein sighed, shaking his head as he went for his own kunai. "The boy doesn't know when to give up," he said low under his breath. Taking a few steps forward, he knelt down, planting his foot on Naruto's back to hold him steady as the kunai went up for the final stab. "Now, Jinchurriki. I end this once and for all!"

Suddenly, a familiar chakra wafted onto his senses, and he cringed. "Damn it. Not him...not now." Rising, he replaced the kunai back in his bag, glaring down at the blond in front of him. "We will finish this later, Naruto-kun. For now...you win." A quick shunshin, and Naruto was alone.

His vision blackening and the demonic chakra ebbing, Naruto took a wheezing breath, turning his sight to the old man that was so close...so close to him. "Jir...Jiraiya..." Clenching dirt in his hand, he struggled to move, to try and touch the white-haired sannin before passing out completely.

Footsteps in the clearing told him someone else was there. _Must...be...ANBU. Finally...the...slackers..._His last thoughts were with the man in front of him as the darkness closed in and he sighed, allowing his head to rest on the ground.

The footsteps grew closer as a spiky, white haired individual approached the two bodies. He had already seen to the girl, his hands cleaned in the lake after a thorough inspection. Shame, she had been quite stunning, but the life of a shinobi was dangerous and full of death.

Kneeling, he put a finger to the boy's neck, nodding slightly at the unsteady thump of a heartbeat. One side-glance at the old man and he could tell immediately that he was not of the living anymore. But, the blond kid was the first priority at any rate.

Sighing again, he knelt down, removing the boy's hitai-ate and throwing it to the side. The blood from the wounds he had inflicted on Konan still seeped from the fabric, staining the ground a dirty red.

That being done, he lifted the boy onto his shoulder, standing and taking a quick survey of the scene. Then, he darted into the forest, Naruto's body bumping lightly against him as he strove to divide himself from the scene.

It was several minutes later when ANBU arrived on the scene. Five men in animal masks landed lightly on the ground, taking in everything within a moment. Their leader, a man in the mask of a dog, sighed.

"I'll report to the Hokage-sama. The rest of you, search for any clues as to the whereabouts of the body of Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hai!" The four shouted in unison, disappearing in a haze of smoke as they went about the task of recovering the dead boy's body...or whatever pieces of him they could. The man stooped, shaking his head at the body of Jiraiya. Slowly putting a hand beneath his mask, he rubbed at his nose, squinting his eyes.

"What a beautiful mess this has turned out to be...eh Jiraiya-sama?"

**Jutsu list**

**Raikou Handou no Jutsu (lighting kick)- A Raikou (lighting type) Ninjutsu, creates a barrier of lighting around the users leg.**

**Doton Doroku Gaeshi** - **A Doton (earth type) Ninjutsu technique where the ninja digs into the ground beneath them and tears up a solid wall of dirt and rock. The shield of earth is held together by the ninja's chakra and is meant to take the driving force of a physical attack.**

**Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu****-A Suiton (water type) Ninjutsu technique using water as its base. The ninja manipulates the water around them into the shape of a large dragon that attacks their opponent as a torrential blast. First performed by Momochi Zabuza and Hatake Kakashi, simultaneously, in chapter fifteen.**

**Doton: Doryuuheki- ****A Doton (earth type) Ninjutsu technique where the ninja "vomits" a wave of mud, which shoots out of their mouth and assumes the form of a solid wall in front of them, sturdy enough to dam a river of water.**

**So what do think? I tried my best on the fight scene but this is my first fanfic so it wasn't very good. R&R! Also thanks for all the reviews there great! One more thing to ****Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain- no I probably will not make Kakashi naïve and ignorant sensei, he probably be a bit humorous (come on you all need a little comedy in a fanfic) but serious when the time arises. And as you can see from this chapter there will be an OC so I will take your advice. And one last thing Thank You Uzuki for another brilliant edit!**


	4. Chapter 4

**NN-chan:** Well this sucks….

**Naruto:** What's up with you?

**NN-chan:** My mom says I have to start at least one club activity!

**Naruto:** Why is that bad?

**NN-chan:** They all suck, Hockey, Soccer, Basketball, Cheerleading (males do it to), Ballet ect. They all suck!

**Naruto:** Come on they can't be that bad…

**NN-chan: **I wish, anyway I'm not the only one having a bad time; my brother is having a hassle at Uni so that kind of makes me feel better!

**Naruto:** Your cruel you enjoying your brother's own pain

**NN-chan:** What! He does the same, it's how our brother to brother friendship works.

**Naruto:** You are one emo teenager

**NN-chan:** Look who is talking 'Fox boy!'

**Naruto:** Meanie!

**NN-chan:** Whatever it's time for the disclaimer take away Sai

**Sai:** Sure thing, Dickless's friend here doesn't own Naruto but he does own his Oc Ratio.

**NN-chan: **It's story time!

The next morning, Naruto awoke to meet that ever familiar ceiling. Letting out a quick groan, the blond propped himself up on his elbows, glancing about. Taking a moment to familiarize himself with his surroundings, he noted the table, the chairs, and the kitchen area. Not much else was noticeable about the room. Yawning, the boy threw the covers off himself, rubbing a hand through his hair as his other hand rubbed at his eye, attempting to remove the salt from the night that had accumulated on his eyelid.

Suddenly, Ratio came barging in. His snow-white hair flared about as he strode over to the youth, eying him for a moment before smiling. "Naruto! Get up, take a shower, get dressed, and meet me in the yard in twenty five minutes. Do it!" He stammered at a lightning pace, so fast that Naruto had barely a chance to keep up with him. Then, he was gone, back out the door in a moment.

Cursing slightly under his breath, Naruto stood, yawning again before heading to the small shower and bathroom that lay directly in front of him. It took a moment to adjust the water temperature, where it wasn't scorching his skin, nor making him leap out of the stall in a cold chill.

After his relatively short shower, he walked out, glancing at where his clothes had been. They weren't there, leaving a very naked Naruto...very worried.

"Oy! Where the hell are my clothes!?" Naruto yelled, attempting to cover himself with the small towel that had been left for him.

"I took the liberty of burning your old clothes...except for your jacket. I thought that you may need that later. As for your new attire, check the closet!" A voice answered from the window. Sighing again, Naruto made his way to the closet on his left, opening it and eying what was supposed to be his new clothes.

A few minutes later, Uzumaki Naruto stood in the sun, taking in the new day. His new baggy black pants and black shirt reflected the sunlight, his black leather gloves crisply responding to his hands clenching at his sides. "Ah! A perfect morning!"

He had just enough time to take it all in before his instincts kicked on. Ducking fluidly, his right hand shot up, catching the rock that had flown through the air, on a direct course with his head. Grimacing, the boy clenched harder, crushing the rock into dust. "What the hell!?"

Ratio stood, grimly eying him as another rock bounced in his hand. Naruto eyed him carefully before getting back into a standing position. _What the hell has got into him? Yesterday, he was nothing but kind and caring. Today...he's grimmer than ever, _thought Naruto.

"Ok, Naruto. Today, I'm gonna introduce you to a very strict training schedule. You'll follow this schedule exactly, point by point, letter by letter, until I deem you fit. Do you understand?" Ratio said, all caring attitude exempt from his rock-hard voice.

Naruto huffed, smiling slightly as his hand came up to his brow in a mock salute. "Sir, yes sir!"

Another rock zipped by his head, and he barely dodged in time. Ratio hadn't thought his antics...up to snuff. "Naruto. You asked me to train, so you will take it seriously. Taking on a man of Pain's stature is no game. You'll die if you try to act like this is nothing more than a play date. Do you understand me?"

For the first time in a long time, Naruto felt fear. He knew exactly now what Jiraiya had been training him for, though, Jiraiya's training was never this down-to-earth or harsh. "H-h-hai!"

Ratio smiled, allowing the next rock to fall from his hand. "Good. Now, here is your daily routine and schedule. Read it first and tell me what you think." A scroll left his other hand, and Naruto caught it deftly in the air.

Opening it, he began to take in the scroll's contents, his eyes widening all the while.

****

_**Uzumaki Naruto's Training Schedule**_

**Morning: **Fifty stretches, followed by five-hundred push-ups with one hand.

**Mid-Morning**: One-Hundred and Sixty laps around the entire forest.

**First Break: **Lasts fifteen minutes.

**Noon: **Gravity level added. Tree climbing for two hours, followed by Rasengan training for two hours. This includes continuously hitting a post with Rasengan...for entirety of exercise.

**Second Break:** Thirty minutes for a meal and rest.

**Night:** Meditating until sleep period.

Naruto glared at the paper, and then brought his attention up. "This is insane! No one can do this!" he yelled, aiming his voice directly at the white-haired man.

"Count yourself lucky, yeah? My original schedule was ten times that. Besides, unless you can do this easily each day, you'll never even touch Pain. In fact, unless you can do the first part of the training, you may never even see him before he kills you," Ratio mused. Seeing that Naruto wasn't about to give him more lip, he continued. "Now, are you aware of what a gravity seal is, Naruto?"

Naruto sighed. "Ano...I remember Jiraiya-sensei telling me something about it. Something about...activating a gravity seal...and it doubles the pull of gravity upon a particular object or person...or something," Naruto said, half-knowingly, half hoping that he was correct.

Ratio nodded. "Hai, you're correct, Naruto-kun. There are many levels of gravitational seals, going up to about twenty times normal gravity...a feat that I haven't seen accomplished." Reaching behind him, he pulled a jar of ink from his pocket, a quill already in his right hand.

"Ano...what are you doing?" Naruto asked, taking a back-step.

"Come here, Naruto-kun. I want to add the seal to you. It will be required for your training," Ratio said, beckoning the boy closer.

Half-heartedly, Naruto walked forward, sitting down in front of the other man and crossing his legs. "Good, Naruto-kun. Now, bend your head forwards, please," Ratio said. Naruto nodded, craning his head forward and allowing the man access to the back of his neck.

Smiling, Ratio began to work. Working quickly, he wove an intricate pattern upon the boy's skin, crossing and re-crossing his own work until he was satisfied with it. Stepping back, he admired his work under the dying rays of the sun setting below the Western hills. "Good...good. I'm damn good at this, you know?"

"Hai...hai. Whatever. You done?" Naruto asked. Ratio chuckled. _The boy is as impatient as always._

"Hai hai. Stand up, Naruto-kun. I'm going to activate the seal now. It...may get a bit rough for you, so...just bear with it, alright?"

"Ha! I can take anything you can dish out, old man!" Naruto replied back, standing and patting down his clothes. The dust rose in the late afternoon sun as Ratio's eyebrow dipped.

_Old...old man! I'll show him old man! _Outwardly, Ratio simply smiled on. "For the first few days, you'll focus on just standing up. Alright, Naruto-kun?"

"Ay ay! Just do it already!"

"Alright. As you wish."

Slowly, Ratio began to make hand-seals. Then, faster and faster they came, until with a loud shout, he thrust his hands to Naruto's chest. "**Sealing Arts: Gravity Well Technique**!"

A ray of light penetrated the coming darkness, and Naruto glanced down at his stomach as beads of light began to pool outward, working themselves up his chest, across his broad shoulders, and up to his neckline, where the seal began to glow faintly. Stepping back, Ratio looked on as Naruto's body gave off a faint, greenish hue. The boy watched everything, taking in the effects of the jutsu. Then, he saw nothing but dirt.

A beam of light shot up into the sky, eventually subsiding as a dazzled and dazed Naruto found himself lying face-down in a small crater. Blinking and taking each breath as it came, Naruto grit his teeth. "W-w-what the hell!?"

Ratio gave a sadistic smile, which Naruto couldn't see at the moment. "I told you. It takes some getting used too." With that, the man turned, walking back towards the house.

"Hey! You...you just can't...can't leave me here!" Naruto screamed, attempting to rise but failing miserably.

"Sure I can! You have two feet. Move yourself! I'll have to reconstruct a bed for you, you know. I want you to eat, sleep, train, walk, talk, and breath at this gravity level." Putting his chin in a hand, Ratio stroked it thoughtfully. "Maybe in a week or so, we'll go a little higher."

Naruto cringed, still attempting to move. "Damn it! Noooo!" Yelling at the top of his voice, it didn't help things, but it made him feel better.

Ratio gave a soft giggle. His hand reached for the doorknob as he turned around, waving at the crater in the ground. "Have a good night, Naruto! See you tomorrow morning!"

"Get back here, old man! This isn't...isn't fair!"

Closing the door to Naruto's screams, Ratio sighed. "Sometimes...life isn't fair, Naruto-kun. You should have learned that by now..."

Just outside of Konoha, the remnants of the Rookie nine stood gathered at a shallow grave. Joining them was Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai, Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, Asuma, and Kurenai. It was a plain looking grave, just a tombstone and a pit. On the grave was engraved a short epitaph...something to remember the blond boy by:

**Here Lies Uzumaki Naruto**

**Hero of Konoha**

**The Kyuubi's Vessel**

**A True Friend**

The individuals stood there, each with a gravity of silence...none of them with anything to say. None of them had it in their hearts to speak.

Tsunade was the only one crying, losing yet another loved one to the curse of the necklace. _First Nawaki...than Dan...now Naruto. Why...why..._was the repetitive thought running through Tsunade's head.

Sasuke, his face a blind mask of cold indifference, felt worse than he'd ever had before. _If...if I hadn't been so ignorant. Naruto...Naruto wouldn't have left. He wouldn't have died. I...I ruined everything. I'm...I'm truly sorry...my brother..._

Sakura turned her eyes to the darkening sky, the clouds already beginning to gather. _I never had a chance to tell him the truth. He probably died, thinking that I hate him. I...I didn't. I...I loved him. Why did you leave us, Naruto..._

As if the skies could feel the deluge of their souls, it began its own deluge. A thick, cold rain began to fall, darkening further the loss of their dear friend.

Soon, the friends began to depart, leaving one by one...until the only remaining two who stood there were Sasuke...and Sakura.

Sasuke gulped, glancing sideways at the pinkette before voicing his opinion. "Sakura-chan...we should leave. We can come back tomorrow. If we stay out here, we may catch a cold."

Sakura smiled to herself, not even giving the Uchiha a glance. "You go, Sasuke-kun. I'm...I'm gonna stay a bit longer." Her voice was reassuring, even if her conscience was frail and shaking.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was going to be alright. "Will you be ok, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura merely nodded. Sasuke waited for a moment more before turning and heading back to Konohagakure, leaving the girl there to stand alone by the gravesite. It wasn't long after that Sakura couldn't hold in her tears anymore. She had wanted to let loose during the entire funeral, through the entire service. She missed him now. Oh Gods how she missed him. She would have done anything just to have seen that reassuring smile once more. She would have traveled to the ends of the planet to have seen a wisp of his blond hair.

She would go to Hell itself if she thought she could find him one last time. To tell him how she really felt.

She stood there, crying until the early hours of the night. Slowly, painfully, she turned, her tears mingling with the rain as she headed home to cry some more.

As if understanding her sorrow and anguish, a bolt of lightning cracked overhead...and the heavens themselves opened up, pouring down tears of pain for her lost love. For a good friend.

For Uzumaki Naruto...

"You go I'm gonna stay a bit longer" Sakura said reassuringly

At first Sasuke was hesitant but then he decided it was ok "are you gonna be ok?" he asked before leaving.

Sakura nodded. When Sasuke had left Sakura broke down crying her eyes out like she had wanted to during the whole funeral, she miss him oh how she missed him, she would do anything just to get to him to stand next to her for one last time, or at least find his body. Sakura stood there crying till the early hours of night, before she went home to cry some more.

**Ahh so sad! Thank you Uzuki-kun! For you amazing editing work on my crappy stories XD You brilliant, love ya! D****on't forget to R&R! **

**Haha Got you! It doesn't end there, Our great editor Uzuki wanted to add something to the chapter so I thought I should let him!**

Naruto lay in his crater, feeling the water pool about him. He had to find a way out of there, or he would probably drowned. "Hn. The great Uzumaki Naruto...dead in a ditch. How poetic," he said to himself. The situation was so ironic...that he laughed to himself. He laughed, long and hard, even as the rain beat down upon him and the lightning crackled in the sky. He laughed!

It was good that it was raining, he thought.

At least that way, no one could see his tears...


	5. Chapter 5

**NN-chan: **To all those people that voted for the time skip your dreams have come true!

**Naruto: **Yeah I vote for that!

**NN-chan: **No you didn't you great big lumberjack.

**Choji: **I'm just a bit chubby you don't have to tease me 'cries in a corner'

**NN-chan:** I wasn't talking about you Choji, oh well forget it, Suigestu do me a favour and do the disclaimer.

**Suigestu:** Sure thing, NN-chan doesn't own Naruto, Kishimoto does, but NN-chan does own his Ocs.

**NN-chan: **Angst rules!

**Sasuke:** It does, doesn't it

**NN-chan: **No it doesn't I was just messing, piss off emo child!

**Sasuke:** 'cries in a corner'

**NN-chan: **stupid kids anyway, its story time!

**Time skip 2 year later**

A man wearing a black coat and a straw hat which hid his appearance walked into the Tsuchikage's office carrying a bloody man on his shoulder.

The man tossed the body to the side and walked up to the Tsuchikage "that's the last one" the man said in a cold voice.

The Tsuchikage looked up impressed "you live up to your name demon of the wind, the clearer of the bingo books, the hunter-nins are getting jealous you know".

The man scoffed "it's not my fault I'm better at their jobs then they are."

The Tsuchikage chuckled "well demon of the wind..."

"Wind is ok" the man interrupted.

"Ok Wind-san, what do you plan to do now you have cleared all the bingo books?" The Tsuchikage continued.

"There is still one man I need to kill" The man replied "well now if you don't mind I'll be leaving".

"No, no you can leave" The Tsuchikage ushered.

The man left the room to meet a white haired man in his 20's outside.

"Ratio what are you doing here" the man questioned.

"Is that how you speak to the man who made you what you are today, Naruto?" Ratio said.

Naruto shrugged "its time for me to go after Pain" Naruto was just about to leave but was stopped by Ratio's hand.

"No you don't, you are still not ready" Ratio said pulling Naruto back.

"What do you mean not ready, I have been training for 2 years with you and I cleared all the bingo books!" Naruto yelled.

"Remember what I told you Naruto, your not doing this for revenge, your doing this to protect the ones you love, thus I'm ordering you to go back to Konoha and sign up as a Konoha shonbi" Ratio said calmly.

Naruto just stayed still for several minutes eventually he raised his fist and punched Ratio in the face.

"Why are you doing this to me" Naruto yelled at Ratio.

Ratio stood up wiping the blood from his mouth, "this is way, you act like you hate Konoha yet is it not Konoha that contains the ones you love, I want you to go back there to clear your head and focus on the real reason you wish to defeat Pain" Ratio paused for a moment "anyway you have been there quite a few times returning their missing nins"

"That was different I just gave the person to Tsunade and left, never talked with anyone else other than Tsunade" Naruto said head down.

"Naruto you must go, the only way you can truly defeat Pain is to have closure on friendship, brotherhood and love" with that Ratio poofed away.

Naruto sighed and headed over to Konoha.

**Konoha**

Naruto reached the gates of Konoha wearing his straw hat and black cloak completely covering Naruto's true appearance.

Naruto reached the gates where Konohamaru stood guard, as Naruto approached Konohamaru saluted him "Ohayo Wind-sama"

Naruto simply nodded at Konohamaru and headed off to Tsunade's office.

**Tsunade's office (why do I keep doing these subheadings!)**

Naruto stood almost stoic in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Hmm why are you here Wind, didn't you complete all the bingo books" Tsunade said swinging her famous sake bottle as she twirled around.

Naruto paused for several minutes before answering, "I have come here to be a Konoha nin"

Tsunade drop her sake bottle and look at the male in disbelieve, this man one of the most powerful ninja's in the world (followed by Orochimaru and Pain) was asking if he could be a Konoha Nin! It was like a miracle.

Quickly regaining her composure Tsunade straighten up "and why do you wish to be a Konoha Nin?" she asked trying to analyze the situation.

Naruto sighed _'should I revel myself?'_ _he thought_.

Suddenly Ratio's words rang through his ears 'Naruto you must go, the only way you can truly defeat Pain is to have closure on friendship, brotherhood and love'

At that Naruto removed his straw hat showing an almost exact replica of the Yondaime's face, the only thing different was the three whisker marks on each cheek.

To say Tsunade was shocked was an understatement, she was…there were no words to describe how she was feeling.

"N-Naru-to" she managed to stutter

At that moment Sakura burst in (wow talk about timing) "Tsunade-sensei….NARUTO!" she yelled running to hug him.

Naruto simply moved to the side avoiding Sakura's attempted hug. (ah so evil)

Sakura stumbled before regaining her composure "Naruto you're still alive how…" she said in a mere whisper, while inside Inner Sakura was partying like no tomorrow.

Naruto simply shrugged "I never died, you would have known this if you had search long enough"

Sakura was dumb folded not knowing what to say, the Naruto she knew the cheerful, forgiving Naruto, was now a dark and cold one.

Naruto sighed "well I'm waiting for an answer" he said getting impatient.

Tsunade now out of her faze nodded "yes, you Uzimaki Naruto are hereby renewed as a Konoha nin, well come back Naruto" she said smiling.

Naruto nodded "Arigato, Tsunade-sama I'll be leaving now" Naruto was just about to leave when he was stopped by Sakura.

"What has happened to you Naruto, where is the kind, loving Naruto?" Sakura asked trying not to fall into tears.

Naruto pushed Sakura to the side "I'm leaving" was all he said and with that he left.

**What do you think? Yeah I know it was short but I have parent evening coming up soon, also tommorow I have a science, maths and english assessment all on the same day! whatever just R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**NN-chan: **To all those people that voted for the time skip your dreams have come true!

**Naruto: **Yeah I vote for that!

**NN-chan: **No you didn't you great big lumberjack.

**Choji: **I'm just a bit chubby you don't have to tease me 'cries in a corner'

**NN-chan:** I wasn't talking about you Choji, oh well forget it, Suigestu do me a favour and do the disclaimer.

**Suigestu:** Sure thing, NN-chan doesn't own Naruto, Kishimoto does, but NN-chan does own his Ocs.

**NN-chan: **Angst rules!

**Sasuke:** It does, doesn't it

**NN-chan: **No it doesn't I was just messing, piss off emo child!

**Sasuke:** 'cries in a corner'

**NN-chan: **stupid kids anyway, its story time!

_Keep…running. Have to keep…running. _These thoughts reverberated around the man's skull as he slinked his way across open country, desperately trying to evade capture by the bounty hunter-nin behind him. So far, he had escaped harm, gone through two villages nearly undetected, and had figured out numerous traps left by the man. He figured himself in the clear. However, you don't stand around thinking you've won. If you have time to run, you use it directly.

Approaching another stand of trees, the outlaw took to them, hopping from one branch to another as fast as he could. He had to put distance between himself and the other. He knew that if he were caught, it would be all over. There was no way he could hope to fight against the 'Demon of the Wind'. He was feared throughout the shinobi countries as being the fiercest and most unstoppable nin, having cleared enough bingo books from numerous villages to earn him the title.

He stopped, catching his breath quickly. No way was some stupid hunter-nin going to take him. He was smart. He was cunning. He was strong! No way in hell was it going to happen. Another quick breath of fresh air, and the man was once again gone, back into the treetops.

--

Out on the open plains, about an hour after he had left the trees in lieu of the grasses of the Stone Country, the man finally allowed himself to rest, his muscles quaking with the strain of the forced run. Taking a fear-laden glance behind him, he smiled, finally feeling as though he were safe enough to allow his guard to fall.

"Stupid Demon of the Wind…stupid hunter-nins…stupid country! I hate this place. When I get out of here, I'll just blow the whole stupid place to hell!" the man swore, taking each breath as it came. His times in the ranks of a terrorist organization were not unduly wasted. He had learned from the best. Deidara of the Akatsuki, in fact. He knew every bomb making secret and technique around. True, he couldn't reproduce bombs as well as Deidara could, but he could make them just as powerful, and just as deadly as the explosive expert.

"When I come back, this place will be nothing more than a black, ruined wasteland. I'll carve the mountains into ash! I'll reduce this whole land into little more than a footprint. Why, I'll erase the very name of Iwagakure from the record books! Just blow it straight to hell! Sounds…sounds good to me…" The man smiled, relaxing against a rock.

"You know, it isn't polite to keep someone waiting. I've been sitting here for almost two hours now. You really should have picked up the pace." The man's eyes widened exponentially, and he jumped in shock, taking a quick look around the rock. A black-coated man sat on the other side, dirt sifting through his hands as his piercing eyes took in the other man's face from behind the shadow of a straw hat.

"You…you…Demon of the Wind!" The man turned, attempting to flee once more.

The other man grimaced, turning to face him. "You…you…I'll show you!" His hands immediately went into a hand-sign, and he smiled. "**Earth Release: Explosive Carbon Release Technique**!" His hands lit up, and his smile widened as he thrust them into the earth, feeling it give to his chakra.

Suddenly, the ground trembled and shook violently. Seeing the small look of concern on the newcomer's face, the convict nodded. "This whole place is full of coal and carbon deposits. I just set them off! This entire field is going to explode in about…oh…one second." Then, he disappeared, leaving the bounty hunter in the middle of the field…just as it exploded into a fiery, hellish pit of destruction and chaos.

Across the hellish void, the wanted man took a quick breath, sitting down behind a flowering bush and allowing himself a sly smile. "No man takes me." Then, standing, he brushed himself off, listening to the dying effects of his jutsu on the still, afternoon air. "Well, that takes care of him. Guess he wasn't so tough after all."

"You know, that was a perfectly nice field. You didn't have to blow it up…" The man had only a few nano-seconds to react as a kunai slid cleanly across his throat. His cry ended in a gurgle as he hit the ground, turning himself over to gaze at the sun one last time. However, his view was blocked by a shadowed visage, which knelt down to inspect his dying throes. The straw hat upon his head hid his face, as the man was quickly losing the ability to focus on the light.

"Gurg…I…eh…erk…ek…"

The bounty hunter-nin's mouth curled into a cold, desolate smile. "No one gets away from the Demon of the Wind. No one…"

Later that evening, the bounty hunter rapped politely on the door of the Tsuchikage's room, awaiting admittance as the bloody body of a taken criminal lay across his shoulder.

"Come in, please." Following the order, the man entered, walking into the room and deftly setting the body down on the ground, not worrying about the drips of blood staining the carpet.

Walking across the expanse of the room, the man stood at the head of the desk at which the Tsuchikage sat. "That's the last one," he said, his voice as cold as the tips of the peaks that were so common in the Stone Country.

The Tsuchikage smiled, looking up with an impressed expression on his face. "Ah, well done. You live up to your reputation, Demon of the Wind, clearer of the bingo books. You know, the hunter-nins are really getting jealous of you. Especially when you keep up your record like this."

The man scoffed, turning his head slightly to look at the wall. "It's not my fault that I'm better at their jobs than they are themselves."

The Tsuchikage chuckled lightly. "Well then, Demon of the Wind…"

Quickly, the man turned his attention back. "Please. Just wind is alright."

The old man blinked for a moment before allowing his smile back. "As you say, Wind-san. Now, if I may so ask, what do you plan on doing now that you have cleared all of the bingo books. To my recollection, there are no more missing-nin in the Stone Country that need eliminating. Nor is there any other in any of the surrounding countries either."

"There is still one man I have a need to kill," the man replied.

The Tsuchikage regarded the black-coated hunter-nin for a moment before nodding. "Hai. Sometimes, that is the way of the world. Almost always one more…"

"If there is nothing else, than I will be leaving."

"No, no. You may leave. Again, many thanks. The Stone Country is now safer for your actions," the Tsuchikage replied, standing and bowing formally as an act of goodwill. The man followed suit, turning and sweeping out of the room. The sound of a jingle behind him made him stop. His left hand flew up, catching a pouch that flew over his shoulder. "For your fine work."

The man nodded, leaving the room and pocketing the pouch of money quickly.

Outside in the hallway, he was met by a white-haired man in his twenties, who smiled at him from a chair. The hunter-nin glanced at him apprehensively before turning down the hallway, the other man matching his stride.

"Ratio-sensei…what are you doing here?" the man questioned, keeping his focus on the hallway in front of him.

"Is that how you speak to the man who made you what you are today, Naruto-kun?" Ratio asked right back.

Naruto shrugged, his heavy coat falling about his shoulders. "It's time for me to go after Pain now." His hand was on the handle of the staircase door when another hand stopped it.

"No you don't, Naruto-kun. You're still not ready yet," Ratio said, pulling Naruto's hand off.

Naruto glanced over, his eye twitching. "Not…not ready? What do you mean, not ready?! I've been training like hell for the past two years with you. I cleared all the bingo books. I've made my name into something that is feared by anyone who does harm in the shinobi world. What the hell do you mean I'm not ready?" Naruto yelled, his hand clenching.

Ratio shook his head. "Remember what I told you, Naruto-kun. You're not doing this for revenge. You're doing this to protect those that you love. Therefore, I'm ordering you to go back to Konohagakure. You're going to sign up as a Leaf shinobi again," he said, as calmly as he could muster.

Naruto took a breath, allowing it to leave his body. Suddenly, he lashed out, catching Ratio on the chin and sending him sprawling to the floor. Turning to face the man fully, Naruto sneered. "Why the hell are you doing this to me?!"

Ratio spat, glaring at his own blood as he got back to his feet. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he smiled coldly. "This is why, Naruto-kun. You act as though your hatred for Konohagakure extends to the entirety of the nation itself. But, is it not Konoha that contains the ones that you love? I want you to go back there to clear your head and focus on the real reason you wish to fight and defeat Pain." Ratio paused for a moment. "At any rate, you've already been there a few times in the past, returning missing-nins."

"That was different. I just gave whoever it was to Tsunade and left, end of story. I never talked to anyone but Baa-chan." Turning away, Naruto lowered his head, hoping that he had kept enough emotion out of his voice to not be transparent.

Ratio caught the flux in his speech pattern, however. _I wonder how long he'll keep up the persona. He'll eventually just kill himself if he keeps it bottled up like this._ Outwardly, he smiled. "Naruto-kun, you must go. It's the only true way you can defeat Pain. You have to have closure on friendship, brotherhood…and love." Then, as Kakashi-sensei had done numerous times, Ratio left the sentence hanging as a dismissal, poofing away with a shunshin.

Naruto glared at the spot that the man had been standing in a moment earlier. His fist quaked as his emotions wreaked havoc on his mind.

With a last, dismissive sigh, Naruto reached up, tightening his hat on his head before doing his own shunshin. Finding himself on the outskirts of Iwagakure, he braced himself mentally and physically. "Returning after so long. As I'm sure Shikamaru would say…this is so troublesome." Then, he began his long run back to Konohagakure, to meet his fate head-on.

Having been trained to use his speed, it took hardly any time to reach the village of Konohagakure. Standing outside the gates, Naruto glanced up, noting the Hokage mountain, where the depiction of each Hokage was strewn in stone. Already, work was beginning on the sixth Hokage's face. That of Konohamaru…who, in Naruto's absence, was sure to be made the sixth Hokage, due to his relationship to the Third.

Sighing for the millioneth time, Naruto entered the gates, only receiving a curt nod from the guards as he strolled past. His hat and black cloak completely covered his true appearance from those who would normally have recognized his yellow hair and whiskered face.

A familiar face soon found its way to his, and strolling past, Naruto gave it a nod. Konohamaru returned it. "Ohayoo, Wind-sama." Then, he was about his duties.

_Some things never change,_ Naruto thought. Finding himself rather quickly at the Hokage building, he looked up at it, taking another breath before entering the stylish doors and heading to the desk of the Hokage herself

In the office of the Hokage, Naruto stood almost stoic in front of the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade regarded the man with an air of surprise, swinging a sake bottle in her hand as she twirled in her chair to face him. Placing the bottle on the desk, she sat back, hands folded in front of her. "So. Wind. Why are you here? I have no work for you. Didn't you complete all of the bingo books?" Tsunade asked, reaching out for a quick swig of her liquor before placing it back on the desk.

Naruto blinked behind his hat, pausing for several minutes. Tsunade gave the man his time, in lieu of the service he had performed over the last two years. It wasn't wise to become upset over a silly thing like a pause. Suddenly, he answered. "I have come…to be a Leaf village nin."

Her bottle stopped half-way to her mouth, dropping from her twitching fingers as she regarded the man in disbelief. The Demon of the Wind, one of the most powerful shinobi in the world (followed closely by Orochimaru and Pain) was asking if he could be a Leaf shinobi? It…it was a miracle!

Quickly regaining her composure, Tsunade straightened, taking a moment to reacquire her dropped sake bottle and place it back on her desk, minus some of its original liquid. _Everything comes with a price. What does he wish to gain from this?_ The woman thought about the offer, mulling the idea over in her head to see what possible gain someone like this would have. "Tell me, Wind. Why…do you wish to be a Leaf shinobi?" she asked, ready to gauge the man's response.

Naruto sighed behind his mask of shadows. _Should I reveal myself? _He thought to himself. Suddenly, Ratio's discussion came back to his memory.

"_Naruto, you must go. The only way to defeat Pain is to have closure on brotherhood, friendship, and love."_

Naruto smiled. Looking up to face the Hokage at her desk, he removed his hat and cloak, letting them fall to the side. "Because, Baa-chan. I was a shinobi of the Leaf before. I thought…why not again, ne?"

The look on Tsunade's face was enough to tell him that she hadn't really been expecting anything of that sort. To say she was shocked would have been an understatement. Five minutes before, if someone had bet her that Naruto would come back, she would have bet millions.

Boy…she would have been deeper in debt than she had ever been before.

The woman stood, her wide eyes betraying her shock. "N-N-Na-Naruto-kun?" she managed to stutter out.

Naruto smiled. "Ohayo…Baa-chan…"

Just then, the door burst open, a pink head of hair entering. "Tsunade-sama, I need your approval on this patient report. It seems that Mr. Taniyaka hasn't been taking his meds, and he needs to…" Her eyes wandered up to the scene, and as her gaze took in the blond head of hair and the face, she stopped, the papers falling loosely from her grasp. "Na…NARUTO!" Papers and duties forgotten, she immediately jumped forward, arms outstretched to hug him.

Naruto coldly moved to the side, allowing her to skid by and avoiding the attempted contact.

She stumbled, turning slightly to regard him. _What…what was that about?_ Blinking, she took in everything at a glance. _He's…he's so much taller now. Not at all like he was before. He's…he's changed._

Regaining her composure, she smiled. "Naruto, you're alive. How…how is…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, even as her Inner-Sakura was partying like hell.

Naruto simply shrugged, stooping down to pick up his hat and cloak. "I never died. Konohagakure would have known that…if you had searched enough."

The pinkette was dumb-founded. Not knowing what to say, she stood there, rigid and cold. The Naruto she knew had been cheerful, forgiving…warm. This Naruto…this one was cold…dark…unforgiving as steel.

Naruto turned away from the girl, his gaze going back to Tsunade. "So, I'm waiting for an answer. Am I a shinobi of the Leaf again, or what?" he asked, getting impatient.

Tsunade nodded, all business once more. "Hai. You, Uzumaki Naruto, are hereby reinstated as a shinobi of the Leaf." Smiling, she looked up from her desk. "Welcome back, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded, dipping his head curtly. "Arigato, Tsunade-sama. I'll be leaving now." Turning, he was just about to make good on his promise when Sakura forcefully stopped him, her hand clenching the fabric of his shirt.

"What's happened to you, Naruto? Where is the kind, loving Naruto that used to follow me around and be a goof-off? Where's the Naruto that we all knew and liked? Where's the Naruto that…that we loved?" Sakura asked, attempting to hide her tears as courageously as possible.

Naruto gave her a fleeting glance, and for a moment, she could see the pain and regret in his eyes. Then, it left as suddenly as it had come, replaced by eyes full of hate and contempt. His hand clenched hers, forcing it off his chest. Side-stepping her, he took a step forward, stopping long enough by her side to whisper, "that Naruto is gone. I'm all that remains." Then he headed to the door. "I'm leaving," was all that issued from his mouth, and then, he was gone.

Sakura stood a moment longer in the room, her lip quivering. _Na…Naruto…_

**What do you think? Yeah I know it was short but I have parent evening coming up soon, also tommorow I have a science, maths and english assessment all on the same day! whatever just R&R! Thanks Uzuki-kun for editing and a note to you! Of course I love the bit you added in! Don't say sorry! Your too great!**


	7. Chapter 7

**NN-Chan: First off I have to say that I'm SO SORRY! My laptop broke and I had to wait ages to get it fixed sorry people!**

**Naruto: You lazy bum!  
**

**NN-chan: Shut it fox boy!  
**

**Naruto: Make me!  
**

**NN-chan: look a buy on get on free on ramen!**

**Naruto: YAY! 'runs to fake supermarket'**

**NN-chan: ok while that idiot is gone I wanna clear up some things.**

**A) Ok all of you I want you to hear this loud and clear, because it seems I made you think something entirely different than I was meant to. Naruto is not cold at Sasuke and Sakura because of the kiss thing, he just cold because of Jiraiya death, that is what has made him so cold, not the kiss because he knew that would happen eventually.**

**NN-chan: So now that's cleared up Sakura do the disclaimer.**

**Sakura: Hai! DISCLAIMER: NN-chan doesn't own Naruto, Kishimoto does!**

**NN-chan: Yup that's right I don't own Naruto, anyway It's story time!**

**Inner Sakura**

_Thought_

Normal

**--**

Naruto breathed in and out trying to calm himself down. Once he got into a stable state and Kyuubi's chakra subsided, he began cleaning up the mess done by the scattered dinner table.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, sighing Naruto got up and dusted himself down before opening the door.

On the other side stood Sakura, Naruto simply closed the door, only to have it stopped by her foot "Naruto we need to talk" she said pleadingly.

Naruto scoffed but let her in anyway, kicking away some of the remains of the table to one side he sat down, "what do you want?" he said coldly.

Sakura flinched slightly at the coldness in Naruto's voice but just smiled anyway "well how have you been" she said trying to strike up a conversation.

"Well my godfather and Sensei died right in front of me and I have been training to kill the man who did it, also this man being the leader of an organization that want's the demon inside of me….other than that my life is swell Sakura just swell" he said sarcastically.

'_Plan: strike up conversation failed' Sakura noted to herself, _sighing under her breath, she conjured up the courage to tell him straight up

"NarutoIloveyouIlovedyousincethedayyoubroughtSasukebackandIwanttodateyou" she said in a jumble.

Naruto blinked several times "you are speaking gibberish" he stated bluntly.

Sakura breathed in and out "Naruto I love you, I loved you since the day you brought Sasuke back and I want to date you"

Naruto's face remained expressionless "no" he said simply.

Sakura's face fell, not that she hadn't been expecting this from the incident in the morning, but she just had a glimmer of hope, he would say yes "why not?" she said sadly.

Naruto sigh slightly as if he didn't really want to do this, but quickly put his expressionless face back on "because how do I know your not using me as a rebound on Sasuke, or to make him jealous, how do I know your not just saying this because I became a successful ninja"

Sakura gasped "Naruto I-"

"No you can't explain how these claims are false, because no doubt one of them is true" Naruto said cutting her off.

Sakura hung her head down "but Naruto I sw-"

Naruto shook his head cutting her off once again "you nothing Sakura, now if you have nothing else to say please leave"

Sakura nodded and stood up, leaving the apartment and closing the door behind her.

Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair, he didn't want this but he had no choice.

**With Sasuke at the Training Grounds**

Sasuke stood up coughing up some blood; he supported himself with the tree he had been slammed into.

Though his body was in a bad condition, he felt even worse inside; to sum it up he felt like shit, he had just made an enemy of his best friend and the person he felt as a brother.

Stumbling through the grounds, his mind began to wonder to how strong Naruto's punch had been "Naruto how much have you gone through" he mumbled mostly to himself but also in someway to Naruto.

**With Ratio and Kakashi**

Ratio smiled as he and Kakashi walked through Konoha "ok first off, I'll explain Naruto's ninja level"

Kakashi nodded, he expected it to be similar to that of an black ops captain or maybe even a Kage.

Ratio continued "he is at the level where he could take out all three Sennin in their prime" he claimed.

Kakashi's mouth would have dropped if it wasn't for his mask "you must have made a miscalculation there is no way Naruto could take out all three Sennin"

Ratio sighed pulling out several pieces of paper out and handed them to Kakashi,

"These are his training schedules from the last two years"

Kakashi took them and scanned through them, as he finished the last one off his eyes widened "no way these are extreme training schedules"

Ratio nodded "yes but with Naruto's stamina due to Kyuubi's chakra, so they are not as tough"

Kakashi nodded again, still in disbelieve 'Naruto what have you been through?' he thought to himself, he was snapped out of thought by Ratio.

"Second thing, why I sent Naruto here" he began sighing "I brought him here so he can regain his full strength"

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow "his full strength?" he asked.

Ratio nodded "Hai, his full strength, even though ninja aren't meant to have emotions, all ninja's need a motivation to fight, Naruto's right now is revenge, which will get him no where, I brought him here so he can realise it is actual to protect the people he loves"

Kakashi nodded understanding Ratio's plans "I understand, but what is the third thing?"

Ratio smiled "oh there is no third thing, now I have things to do Ja mata!" with that Ratio poofed out of existence leaving a baffled Kakashi to wonder with his thoughts.

**Meanwhile in Tsunade's Office**

Tsunade was surrounded by hordes of Anbu roots, filing in reports of Danzo's death and with reports came paperwork and oh how Tsunade hated paperwork.

Her head was literally throbbing from the amount of noise in her office, standing up she slammed her fist on the table effectively silencing everyone.

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" she yelled her voice echoing through Konoha.

Everyone in the room froze and turned their glaze to the angered women.

Tsunade sighed and sat back down on her chair "now someone tell me what the hell is going on" suddenly the whole room was up with accusations of the murder and such.

Tsunade slammed her fist down again, luckily her table didn't break in half, "I said one person!" the room was silent for a while until someone stepped forward "I'll tell you Hokage-sama"

Tsunade nodded "thank you and your name?"

The man smiled "Sai" he said plastering a fake smile on his face, "and I saw what happened"

Tsunade frowned at the fake smile, not liking it but she shook it off "ok tell me what you saw" she looked at the rest of the root Anbu "and guys shut the hell up while he is talking"

The anbu shut their mouths tight and waited for Sai to continue, Sai did his fake smile again before continuing "well I was going to ask Danzo-sama something whe-

_FLASHBACK!!_

_Sai walked through the Roots compound, he wanted to asked Danzo something and had decided to try and find him, soon enough he found Danzo outside speaking into what seemed nothingness. _

_But from the serious and angry look on Danzo's face, Sai decided no to bother him and just watch what happens._

_After a while a figure appeared from the darkness, Sai unfortunately could not see the figures face as it was hid by the darkness of the night. Sai watched the two exchange words that he couldn't hear from his position._

_Suddenly 9 other figures appeared, Sai could see his master was very angry, but couldn't decide whether to take action or not. When the figure attack Danzo with the Kunais Sai ran over to him and found he was died and the perpetrators were nowhere to be found._

_END OF ANNOYING FLASHBACK!!_

And that's how it happened" Sai ended.

Tsunade nodded "did you get no clear view of the attackers?"

Sai shook his head "no, I was too far away and I could only see their figures, the first one had spiky hair"

"It must be Uzimaki Naruto!" one of the root Anbu exclaimed only to get a fist in the face by Tsunade for their troubles.

"Don't you dare make false accusations like that, without any proof to back it up, now I shall set an investigation into this murder, so you are all excused"

The root Anbu bowed and left, leaving Tsunade to all the paperwork "I hate paperwork" she stated to herself as she began sorting it out.

**Sakura's Apartment**

Sakura lay on her bed crying her eyes out, at the talk with Naruto "he hates me, he hates me, he hates me" she repeat to herself out loud, sobbing into her pillow.

Sakura hated this feeling, she hated Sasuke for kissing her that day, she hated the fact that Naruto had turned so cold because of Jiraiya death, she hated Akatsuki for doing it in the first place.

She continued to cry for several minutes until her IS had, had enough of her sobbing.

'**Oi stop being so pitiful, if you really love him you'll work hard to get him, don't just mop around about it and let him be taken from your gasp fight girl!'**

'_But he hates my guts, he thinks I'm in love with Sasuke and that I'm using him, he won't even let me deny it' _Sakura replied

'**Ok so your just going to let him go is that it? Just let him think he was right and you don't love him?'**

'_No….but I don't know what to do, he didn't even want to speak to me in the first place'_

'**That is because he knew what you were going to say, maybe now if you go he won't mind, look you need to fight for him if you want him to be yours'**

'_Your right I can't let Naruto just leave me, I love him and I want him to know it'_

'**That's the spirit, now we need to come up with a plan to show Naruto-kun how much we love him'**

'_Yes what to do?' _

With that conversation, Sakura brushed away her tears and sat up right on her bed, trying to come up with idea's to win Naruto's heart back, before it's too late.

**What is this 'business' Ratio needs to take care of? Will Sakura win back Naruto's heart? Does Naruto really regret saying what he said to Sakura? Find out in the next chapter! R&R and if you have any request for something to happen in the story or any ideas just post it in you review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**NBK: Yo!**

**Naruto: What the hell! Where have you been? and what happened to your name!**

**NBK: Ok well I wanted to change my name and I have been studying.**

**Naruto: Liar!**

**NBK: I'm sorry!**

**Naruto: Whatever!**

**NBK: To my readers! I'm really sorry, I have been, busy, lazy and messed up lately and I kinda forgot about the story.**

**Naruto: I hate you, don't speak to me!**

**NBK: Ow come one don't be like that...I'll let you do the disclaimer..and I'll do an extra long chapter.**

**Naruto: Yayz! Disclaimer: NBK doesn't own Naruto and will in no way use this Fanfic for money purposes. All rights belong to Kishimoto.**

**NBK: A note, I got a lot of request for this chapter and If I haven't fulfilled your request, give me a request for the next one and I promise I'll do my best to fit in with the story. Also if your request hasn't been done it is for two reasons A) It counters the storyline I set up B) I just couldn't fit it in. Your request not being done isn't me being mean!**

**Naruto: You're really kind!**

**NBK: Thanks! Now its story time!**

**IS**

_Thought_

Normal

Naruto continue to sit solemnly on the sofa, his face looking at the wooden floor and his hands cupped in front of him.

Suddenly there was a poof and Ratio appeared by the window "you still love her, don't you?" he said more like a statement than a question.

Naruto glanced up at Ratio, he looked into Ratio's green eyes for a long moment before looking back down, not muttering a word.

Ratio sighed and sat down beside Naruto "I know you too well, and you can't hid it from me...why won't you just admit it?"

Naruto's hands tensed and he stood up, turning his glaze to the sitting Ratio "why did you come here?"

Ratio smiled sadly and stood up "I have to keep my eye on you, just in case you end up killing someone innocent"

Naruto looked at him emotionlessly "like that would happen"

Ratio shrugged "better safe than sorry" he clapped his hands together "now, you didn't answer my question"

Naruto grunted "you didn't answer mine"

Ratio blinked "I believe I just d-" he was cut off by Naruto

"Truthfully" Naruto added at the end.

Ratio looked up to the white ceiling and then back to Naruto "I'm here to guide you, because right now you're too confused to think straight"

Naruto looked away, not wanting to face Ratio's kind and sincere face, it was too much. The way he treated the man who saved his life, train him and is now offering to guide him, he couldn't take it "why do you keep helping me so much, wasn't I suppose to find this by myself?"

Ratio smiled and walked up to Naruto so that they were face to face and then...flicked his forehead "now now, you need to answer my question first" he said cheerfully.

Naruto blinked and rubbed his head before looking down to that ever famous wooden floor "Ratio...you know the answer to that...but I can't, if I am to do what I have to do" he looked up "I don't know what to think anymore"

Ratio sighed "go out, meet some of your old classmates, that my set your mind straight and no doubt they are ecstatic to find you're still alive"

Naruto blinked "but you didn-" but it was too late Ratio had poofed away and left Naruto alone in the house "damn it" he muttered, walking to the door and opening, glancing for a moment at the corridor wall before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

**Sasuke at the training grounds**

Sasuke continued to walked but was losing strength fast, his chakra was somehow zapped to zero by the hit.

Suddenly someone poofed in front of him, nearly sending him to the fall "what the hell" he muttered as the smoke clear revealing the white haired Ratio (AN: Wow he is getting around a lot)

Ratio glanced around, and then his eyes met Sasuke's "ah I knew you would still be here" he smiled and glanced Sasuke up and down "ouch he must of hit you really hard..." _'I should know I saw him hit you' _he added mentally.

Sasuke tensed slightly, still leaning against the wall "who the hell are you"

Ratio blinked "oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Ratio the man who took care of Naruto..."

Sasuke spat "so your the man that made Naruto so cold how could yo-"

He was cut off by Ratio "why on earth does everyone blame how Naruto is like on me?" he sighed and ran his fingers through his white hair "I had nothing to do with Naruto's attitude" he glanced at Sasuke "It wasn't mean who ignored him through his whole childhood, it wasn't mean who beat Naruto for having a biju in him, I did nothing" Ratio paused, for the first time his face looking anger "that was you, the Haruno, Hatake and the rest of this damned village!"

Sasuke looked down "but, but"

"But nothing!" Ratio yelled slamming his fist into the tree trunk "do not blame me for what Naruto has been through, blame yourself and those that did the same"

Sasuke coughed "gomen..." he muttered continuing to looked down.

Ratio sighed "that wasn't the reason I came here anyway" he walked up to Sasuke and began mumbling some stuff in his ear.

Sasuke's eyes widened "you can't expect him to do that, no you can't let him, I won't let you!"

Ratio sighed again "it's not my choice it's his, he knows what will happen and he is prepared to follow it up"

Sasuke stomped his foot "but we just found out he was alive, you can't allow him to walk away from our lives again!"

Ratio looked at Sasuke "why do you think he is being so cold, he doesn't want to be in your lives because he knows it will hurt too much if he did"

Sasuke felt like crying but held it back "then why is he back"

Ratio sighed "because I told him to come back"

Sasuke blinked "why did you tell him to come back, if it would just hurt us more"

Ratio sighed "because if he didn't face all what he need to face, if he didn't finish what he started here...he will go in vain"

Sasuke stomped his foot again "I won't let him"

Ratio appeared behind Sasuke "I knew you would say that...I thought you had a right to know what he was going to do, but I can't let you stop him" he hit Sasuke's pressure point which was on his neck, effectively knocking him out. Ratio caught Sasuke in his arms and poofed away.

**Naruto on the streets**

Naruto walked through the streets, people grasping and pointing at him as he walked past. Not that he minded for all he knew them probably though he was his father brought back to life or something.

He continued to walk down the road, his unruly hair flowing in the breeze. Suddenly he saw out of the corner of his eye, to very familiar looking people, they had the back to him so he could only see their hair and clothing. One was a girl while the other was a male, the male had long brown hair and the female had short purple hair.

Naruto stared at the two for another moment before it came to him "Hinata and Neji" he said rather loud causing the two to turn around.

The two were indeed Hinata and Neji, both their pale eyes were widened in shock and Hinata looked like she was about to faint. Neji put his hand on her shoulder to steady her, before looking back at Naruto "Naruto, so its true your alive". Hinata blinked at least 20 times before stuttering out "Na-Naruto-k-kun" (An: old habits die hard lol XD).

Naruto inclined his head to both of them "Neji, Hinata" he smiled slightly but it looked slightly forced too "it's nice to see you two again"

Hinata fainted at that (An: Sorry I just had to do that!) and Neji caught her in his arms. Neji sighed and looked at Naruto for a long while "you know she got over her stuttering and fainting habit, but as soon as you come she started it up again" he paused "I'll see you later, right now I have to take Hinata-sama back to the compound" with that Neji poofed away.

Naruto looked at the spot they were at for a long moment before sighing and turning in the opposite direction.

**Tsunade's Office**

Tsunade sighed at her desk, popping open another bottle of sake, she wasn't in her drunken state yeah but she wasn't sober either...no she was far from sober.

She placed a pile of paperwork she just finished to the side and took a deep breath. There was then a knock door and Tsunade sighed again "come in" she said dryly.

At that the door opened and in came in Shikamaru, Kiba, Ino and Choji entered "you called?" Shikamaru said as he entered.

Tsunade nodded "I need you 4 to conduct a investigation into the murder of Danzo"

The four blinked "Danzo is dead?" they said in unison, not knowing a clue about the whole ordeal.

Tsunade nodded "he died last night...now are you up for the mission?"

The four nodded and then Shikamaru spoke up "are there any witness and suspects?"

Tsunade placed a file in front of them "this is the witness report from our only witness"

Shikamaru picked it up and flicked through it "arigato..we will need this...now any suspects?"

Tsunade took a deep breath "there is one... Uzimaki Naruto"

Everyone grasped "so the rumours were true...he is alive" Ino breathed out unable to believe that Naruto was still alive from all the time they thought he was dead.

Kiba was the first break out of the shock "wait...Naruto is a suspect. Why?"

Tsunade sighed and took a big gulp of her sake to calm her nerves "if you look at the witness report you'll know why…you see…Naruto has just arrived and now suddenly Danzo is killed…by a man with spiky hair and even though I believe Naruto would never kill Danzo for no reason..but I still have to list him as a prime suspect"

Shikamaru sighed "I guess, our best bet is to question Naruto first right"

Tsunade nodded "but first I would read the witness report if I was you, it will give you four vital information"

The four nodded and bowed before leaving.

**Sakura in her room**

Sakura who had been thinking of ideas sighed as she found most of them wouldn't have a chance of working, so she decided to think about what she did to Naruto in the past (An: Thanks for the idea Kingkakashi!).

She was moved to tears as she began relieasing all the things she had done to him. She had pushed him around, neglected him..she didn't even give him a chance to prove himself to her.

And now she sat here thinking of ways to win his heart? She began to question if she even had the right to do this, I mean he had given her his heart so many times and she had turned him down so many times...did she deserve his heart if only now she reliazed she wanted it?

Then the waterworks came, she was a horrible person, she didn't deserve anyone, forget the love of her life. She was destined to be lonely...she had her chances and she blew it, big time. She was blinding chasing Sasuke knowing he didn't feel the same...and now she has to pay the price...not getting the one she loved.

All the enthusiasm she had before had disintegrated, and was replaced with shame, regret and sadness. She knew what she had to do...give up Uzimaki Naruto.

**How will the investigation get on? Will Sakura forgive herself? Where**** is Ratio taking Sasuke? Who else will Naruto meet? What the hell is happening with Kakashi? Find out next chapter! R&R, if you have any idea or requests post them in your review!**

**Notes: To demonicchild888!: Sorry but your request cannot be fulfilled because it counter-acts with the storyline Sorry!**

**To Spazzgirl: I'm working on an InoShika Lemon just for you!**


	9. Important Note!

**NBK: **This is a note to all my readers…

**Naruto: **So you haven't done the chapter yet….shame on you!

**NBK: **Oi I just going to explain that..anyway, I want to tell you all that the chapter will be really late…ok maybe not THAT late but quite late. This time I have a legit reason! I got myself an editor/Beta and me and him are editing out all the chapters, this is a long process, but I don't want to post up anymore chapters till I'm done.

**Naruto: **So while your waiting, why don't you go back and re read the chapters?!

**NBK: **Exactly, since I'm gonna take awhile, you should go and re read the chapters, some have been changed dramatically. I think we have only edited up to chapter 4 I can't remember. But never the less, check them out!

NBK over and out!


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